3

A.—2

No. 8. (Circular.) Sir, — Downing Street, 2nd January, 1880. I have the honour to transmit to you, for the consideration of your Government, a copy of a letter from the Board of Trade, requesting information respecting Lascars and other Asiatic seamen engaged in colonial ports to serve on British merchant vessels proceeding to places out of the United Kingdom. I have to request that you will make arrangements for the transmission of the desired returns from the ports in the colony under your government direct to the Assistant Secretary of the Marine Department of the Board of Trade ; and that, when the information is nil, " Nil" returns may be so forwarded. I have, &c, FEED. STANLEY. The Officer Administering the Government of New Zealand.

Enclosure. Seamen, Home and Abkoad—Casualties. Sir, — Board of Trade (Marine Department), London, S.W., 24th December, 1885. I am directed by the Board of Trade to state that a question has arisen relative to the number of Lascars and other Asiatic seamen employed on board British merchant ships. The Board of Trade have already the means of obtaining information respecting the employment of these men when they are engaged in the United Kingdom, but they have not full information respecting those engaged in ports abroad. I am therefore to request that you will inform the Secretary of State that they wish arrangements to be made, if possible, for sending to this office from every port in British possessions abroad, on the last day of each month, a tabular statement or list showing the number of Lascars and other Asiatics engaged during the month to serve on British ships which are about to make a voyage to any place out of the United Kingdom. The information the Board of Trade desire to receive from each port at which these men are engaged is as follows: First, they wish the information to be divided into two distinct tables or lists, one of these tables or lists to contain information respecting Asiatics engaged to serve in ships registered in the United Kingdom only, and the other respecting Asiatics engaged to serve in British ships registered elsewhere. A form of the return or list is appended, and marked A. As regards Lascars and Asiatics engaged in a colonial port to serve on a voyage to the United Kingdom, the Board of Trade do not wish to put the officers in the colonies to the trouble of making any returns, as the Board can obtain the necessary information in the United Kingdom. The Board of Trade also desire to receive separately, at the end of each six months, a return in Form B appended, showing the number of deaths of Asiatics engaged to serve on board British ships making voyages to places other than places in the United Kingdom. The information in Appendix B should be in two separate lists, one list containing the number of deaths on board ships registered in the United Kingdom only, and the other showing the deaths on board British ships registered elsewhere. The Board of Trade will be obliged if the Secretary of State can assist them in procuring this information. I have, &c, The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies. Thomas Geay.

Sub-Enclosure 1. Appendix A. (Specimen.)

Voyage from Asiatics engaged to se: •vo on board. Month and Dates. Names of Ships and Official Numbers. Port of Registry. to Deck Hands* Engine-room Hands, t Stewards, Servants, and other Persons. J January 1 A.B. s.s., 70,843 London Bombay to San Francisco 65 58 lfi Note.—The n * Asiatic deck t Asiatic engii every person engag I Asiatic stewi lumbers of the Asiatic: : hands will include St ne-room hands will in< ;ed in any way to worl ards, servants, &c, wi s, and not the 3rangs, Sindal: cjude all Asia k in connectic .11 include all ;ir names, should be s, and all Asiatics er ,tics engaged as cng :>n with engines, boil Asiatics engaged to i given. igaged to ser jinoers, stoke: ors, coal, &c. serve in any < '0 in the navigation of the ship, :s, greasers, coal-trimmers, and >ther capacity.